Kenya
Seeds for Africa predominantly works with primary schools in the Nairobi region. The charity also supports community initiatives in the Thika District and Meru District. These projects allow us to help inner city children, semi rural and rural communities.
Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country.
The long rains occur from April to June and short rains from October to December. The rainfall is sometimes heavy and when it does come it often falls in the afternoons and evenings. The hottest period is from February to March and coldest in July to August.
Agriculture employs 75% of the Kenyan population. It is known for its coffee, tea and horticulture exports. Encroachment by these commercial growers is reducing the availability of fertile land for local people.
In the last year, Seeds for Africa made a total of 18 grants to beneficiaries across Kenya.
Typically, one of the more substantial grant awards benefitted twenty schools where Thomas Ndivo Muema, our coordinator, organised the establishment of tree orchards of 200 trees along with tools and water tanks. Even in the city, there is no guarantee of water on tap and so the rain harvesting tanks are essential. This round of planting in schools is one of a number Thomas has overseen. He always signs off with the words: ‘In the service of the earth.’
Schools provide a midday meal of maize and beans which keeps hunger at bay but which lacks nutrition. Our garden projects are designed to address this problem and enable the meals to be supplemented with freshly grown vegetables and fruit. The children not only grow the food themselves but can then enjoy what they have grown.
The children involved in these gardening projects play a full role from the outset. There may be initial help to clear land but then it is the children who prepare the soil and plant and water the seeds. They keep the areas free of weeds and continue to care for their plants. Excess food can then be shared.
In more rural areas, fencing needs to be erected to protect the plants from animals.
Although we primarily support school children, other beneficiaries include community projects where the people work together to improve their lives and longer term prospects through agricultural development. The assistance from Seeds for Africa enables participants to establish their own food gardens to feed their families and make a small income from any surplus. These organisations often include the words ‘self help’ in their titles and this is exactly what they wish to do. A little charity goes a long way to helping realise their wishes.
One of our key coordinators is Thomas Ndivo Muema who is based in Nairobi. He recently updated us:
'Halo my Dear Friends,
I trust that all is well with you over there. Mine is to appreciate your enormous support, generosity, loyalty and trust towards our project. Without your funding we would not have gone this far, the schools really appreciates your funding in enabling them realize the resources within them.
I was very delighted to hear from the schools principals that from the kitchen gardens they are now saving over Kshs 35,000,00 per month. As the schools are saving a lot of money from the kitchen garden, they have channelled the extra cash for supporting the less fortunate pupils in buying school uniform and paying other small levies but I requested them to also use the extra cash in maintaining the project and fully make the garden green throughout the year..
The certificates were awarded to the best three schools for 2010 with Muguga Primary School in top position, Westlands Primary second and finally River Bank Primary third position. Mainly these awards are done by YBGP in co-operation with United Nations Environmental Program whose headquarters are in Kenya. This organization also assists us in print magazine which we issue to schools and also some training to our volunteers.
Thank you for making us, schools and the community proud. YBGP is driven by passion, purpose, pride.
Yours in the service of the Earth,
Tom Ndivo Muema'
The schools Tom works with have won prizes for their excellence; these results could not be achieved without our donors:
LOWER KABETE SCHOOL won First Place in 2009 for the excellence and commitment shown by the Headteacher, teachers and children. It was a proud moment for us to be there to present them with their certificate and join in the celebrations.
One of our longer term delivery partners is CIFORD – Community Initiative for Rural Development which uses our funding to provide seeds and equipment. Their members carry out agricultural training which improves the lives of hundreds of people who rely on their ‘shambas’ (kitchen gardens) to feed their children and make a little money.
Read how Seeds for Africa has helped Agnes greatly improve her life.
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Kellogg’s in the UK have partnered with Seeds for Africa to support major projects in Kenya and Malawi. Kellogg’s have made a very generous donation from the Kellogg Foundation to help the schools and communities in these locations to grow maize, which is an essential staple of the diet. Most importantly though, the funding has provided fruit trees, vegetable seeds and tools to help ensure a sustainable, self-reliant future.
The funding has meant that 12 schools in Malawi now have flourishing gardens and adequate water provision and the community project in Kenya is allowing the women farmers to beat poverty and even generate income which means their children can attend school.
One of the most wonderful offers from Kellogg’s was to include Seeds for Africa on the side of 25 million packets of Cornflakes, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and Frosties! This is the most amazing exposure for a small charity such as ours.
Seeds for Africa would like to acknowledge the support from Kellogg’s because without it we would not have been able to achieve so much.
